Strategy 1: promoting globalization
Background: From 65438 to 0989, david stern came to China for the first time to talk with CCTV about broadcasting NBA games. That year, no one on CCTV knew Stern's purpose and importance. When the receptionist met Stern after reporting to the foreign guests for approval step by step according to the system of receiving foreign guests, Stern had been waiting in the cold for more than an hour. Later, Stern patiently explained what the NBA was, that the broadcast could be free and so on … until CCTV agreed to broadcast it. Another spring after many years, when Stern came to Beijing again, he said, "Now every time I come to Beijing, I naturally shrink my neck, because that spring more than ten years ago was really cold."
Before 1998, NBA basically gave away program contents and signals for free (sent highlights to Beijing once a week), and advertisements were only played in the program; Not only that, NBA officials will also invite CCTV's broadcast team to broadcast the Star Game and the finals from their own pockets. This seemingly loss-making business has laid a deep fan base for NBA in the most populous country in the world.
Recently, NBA announced that it will cooperate with EA Sports Company. In the 65,438+00 months of 2006 and 2007, the NBA will set up six teams' pre-season training camps in Europe. In the summer of 2005, NBA basketball activities without borders spread all over Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. In the autumn of 2005, Jam Van(Caravan), an NBA fan interaction event, came to China for the first time, which was the first time that the event was held outside the United States. At present, NBA is planning to bring NBA games to China again, targeting medium-sized cities outside Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
While trying to let more fans experience NBA personally, NBA is also expanding its global TV transmission network, so that fans in more parts of the world can enjoy wonderful NBA events on TV. According to the latest report on NBA official website, NBA games in 2005-06 season were spread to 2 15 different countries and regions through 43 languages and 164 different TV stations, involving 3 1 000 million viewers. More than 50% of the visitors to the official NBA website come from users outside the United States, which also makes the official NBA website the most visited overseas website in the United States. The NBA is also the only major sports league in the United States that provides official websites in languages other than English. In addition, NBA has 1 1 branches all over the world: European branch (Geneva), Latin American branch (Miami, USA), Australian branch (Melbourne), Asian branch (Hong Kong) and so on. In addition, we have offices in Japan and London.
In the 2005-06 season, 82 international players from 36 different countries and regions participated. This is the season with the largest number of international players in NBA history.
Strategy 2: Strong market partners.
Background: The original NBA was just an amateur league for self-entertainment without any commercial elements. Until the season of 1953-54, the TV station broadcasted 13 NBA games for the first time and paid the NBA $39,000. In the next 20 years, although NBC and ABC have been broadcasting NBA games, they have not paid any money to the NBA. Until the 1973-74 season, CBS signed a contract with the NBA and paid the NBA a broadcasting fee of $27 million for three years. Since then, CBS has renewed its contract with the NBA four times. By the season of 1986-87, the broadcasting expenses had risen to $65438+74 million in four years, five times that of 13 years ago.
The NBA now has two TV broadcasting contracts with considerable value: the cable TV contract signed by the NBA and TNT Company was worth $2.2 billion in the six years from the 2002-03 season to the 2007-08 season; The network TV contract signed by NBA with ABC and ESPN lasted for six years from the 2002-03 season to the 2007-08 season, and was worth 2.4 billion dollars. The three companies made a total of $4.6 billion in six years.
The advertising revenue of NBA is far more than that. At present, the alliance's sports shoes and sportswear partners include Adidas, Nike and Reebok, Coca-Cola in the beverage field, McDonald's in the food field, AOL in the Internet field, Disney and time warner Inc. in the entertainment field, and even Lego in the children's toys field. In the 2005-06 season, the number of NBA global market partners reached 17. By the end of 2005, NBA had as many as six marketing partners in China.
Strategy 3: "Star-making" movement
Background: Several generations of NBA operators are very aware of the important value of stars to the market. When Stern came to power, the Lakers and Celtics were fighting for the world. Each team has a superstar-"Magic" Johnson and "Big Bird" Bird. Stern put the legendary black-and-white superstar on the market as the image of the league. Countless fans like the NBA because they like these stars. In the 1990s, "Magic" and "Big Bird" retired one after another. It happened that the birth of Jordan made up for this vacancy, so Stern took Jordan as the main star to promote the NBA all over the world. This strategy has once again received a miraculous effect. Jordan's charming smile, classic tongue sticking and mythical skills have conquered fans all over the world, even basketball players from other countries, making the NBA a real international league. After Jordan retired, Stern began to look for new spokesmen, including O 'Neill, Kobe Bryant, Iverson, Garnett, McGrady and Yao Ming.
NBA superstars such as Yao Ming, O 'Neal and James are very important to a team. Since Yao Ming joined the Rockets in 2002-03, the value of the Rockets has soared from $255 million to $422 million in 2005. The joining of O 'Neill and James has also brought similar growth to their respective teams. Since he was selected to the NBA in 2003, the value of "Little Emperor" helping the Cavaliers has risen from $258 million to $356 million. The joining of O 'Neill also made the Heat's worth climb from $236 million to $362 million. The influence of superstars is not only reflected in the attendance rate of home fans, but also drives the sales of other related products of the team. Vader's continuous maturity also makes his jersey the best-selling jersey in the NBA, which naturally benefits the team itself the most, because the team has all the relevant product licenses of the Heat.
Strategy 4: Unlimited extension of products
Background: During his 20 years as president of NBA, Stern not only completely renovated almost all NBA rules and regulations, operating concepts, management methods, marketing and internationalization, but also established entertainment projects such as NBA cable TV, NBA website, NBA city, NBA store and NBA mobile bus, which have almost become the fixed operation mode of basketball league. In 20 years, the total assets of NBA have increased fivefold.
Competition is the main product of NBA, but 1230 regular-season games and dozens of playoffs every year are only the tip of the iceberg of NBA products. All-star game, draft, overseas competition, basketball carnival, basketball without borders, NBA training camp and basketball caravan are all products directly extending from the competition. In addition, the NBA has produced and distributed a series of wonderful film and television products, including game videos, CDs, music and other multimedia products.
The NBA has also successfully expanded its brand to other fields, including: the "NBA Store" located on Fifth Avenue in New York, USA, which sells the most complete and top-level NBA and WNBA licensed products in the world, suitable for all ages; NBA City is an NBA restaurant in Orlando, which provides contemporary American cuisine and plays unique multimedia programs. People of all ages can enjoy wonderful basketball games and participate in countless interactive basketball games here.